If you’ve landed on this page then most probably you or someone very close to you is halfway through that honeymoon period of the relationship, and now it’s time to introduce her to them. For all obvious reasons this conviction of introducing your girlfriend to your friends must follow a series of tests.

These tests are of a very intimate nature, and their nature does not change throughout the relationship. For example, milestones such as your first road trip together, first late-night catch-up, first kiss, and first silly moment, all the way to your first kid and first house, and then the firsts of your children: the connection you develop with your significant other becomes very special.

Allowing your girlfriend to enter your social life should come after many of these firsts. Although her introduction with your friends is inevitable and necessary because you cannot keep these two integral parts of your life separate, but before you do that, make sure your girlfriend is here to stay at least for a while. Once you are certain that this girl is likely to become a permanent part of your life, only then should you introduce her to your friends.

Allowing your girlfriend to enter your social life should come after you’ve spent a considerable amount of time and shared a few great experiences with her, becoming certain that she is probably the one for you

It’s perfectly natural for you to feel nervous about what your friends will think of her, as you want them to accept her as a member of your circle, but if you follow the advice mentioned below, we are sure you will be able to smoothly incorporate your girlfriend in your social setting.

Start With Something Simple

As a rule of thumb, the entry of a new person to an event that is exclusively, and has always been, a friends’ gathering, is bound to create some awkwardness. For example, just imagine taking your girlfriend to a friend’s birthday party as a way of introducing her to everyone, whereby while everyone would be trying to make the birthday boy feel special, your girlfriend would end up being mostly ignored. Your friends will not be able to provide the time and effort necessary to get to know her, which would make the entire introduction completely pointless.

All such events that are strictly a friends-only matter make for terrible situations to introduce your girlfriend. Hence, the key is to start with something simple. For example, have a casual dinner with one or two of your friends, and keep it unplanned if possible to give the entire occasion a very candid setting. Your goal is to help everyone get comfortable with each other, and you need to establish common connections between the two. Perhaps repeat the jokes and phrases that are only understood by your friends at the dinner table, so that your girlfriend starts to feel part of the clique, is a good way to break the ice.

All such events that are strictly a friends-only matter make for terrible situations to introduce your girlfriend.

Be There For Her, But Only When Necessary

Now that she has met your friends, give her space to gel with them. You do not need to translate her every statement, as you want her to make personal relations of her own with your friends. Your continuous follow-ups or sticking around could potentially sabotage the probability of that happening.

However, that does not mean you abandon her altogether. Misunderstandings can grow instantaneously between people who have just met, so you need to intercede on behalf of both your friends and your girlfriend whenever necessary. This support will be acknowledged and also reciprocated when she introduces you to her friends.

Avoid Overkill

First introductions must always be in a comfortable setting and when everyone is paying full attention to the interaction. If one of the two, either your girlfriend or your friends, is busy in another activity as you introduce the two, then you have concocted a failed attempt at helping your friends and your girlfriend like each other.

For example, you should not make her watch you play basketball with your friends for 5 hours, allowing room for interactions only during the intermittent breaks, or introducing your girlfriend on a road trip may also not be a very great idea as everyone is too focused on enjoying the trip.

It is extremely unlikely that either of the two would be able to make good first impressions if that first interaction awkwardly stretches out for too long. That is why it’s imperative that you keep it short and simple.